Crisis Management in the Israeli-American Family

Michael Warschawski: Before speaking about the crisis, one has to understand the special relationship between the United States and Israel. Between these two states there is a strategic alliance, which is something extremely solid, very central to the US Middle East policy and very essential to Israel. This strategic alliance is not in crisis. In the framework of that alliance there can be tensions. The American administration and the Israeli government don’t always see the world and strategic objectives in exactly the same way. We are now in such a case. . . . As long as the Israeli government is not only not trying to resolve [the Palestinian issue], not trying even to open talks, but provoking more and more, it will be difficult for the US to initiate seriously basic changes in the Greater Middle East, especially with Iran. . . . The Israeli government will try to push all the time in its own direction; the Americans will try to limit it as much as possible. But it will be done in the family. The existence of the Israeli-American family sharing, claiming to share, the same values and defending basically the same global interests in the area will be stronger than the crisis. So, we have what Kissinger used to call, not crisis resolution, but “crisis management.” They will manage the crisis on a permanent basis, trying not to reach a real state of crisis where real pressures and sanctions will have to be imposed on Israel in order to implement American interests.

Michael Warschawski is a political analyst with the Alternative Information Center. This video was produced by Sergio Yahni of the Alternative Information Center and released on YouTube on 26 March 2010. The text above is an edited partial transcript of the video. | | Print